Reading Between the Lines
by Laura Scofield
Summary: A series of diary entries from different HP characters. Chapter 1 is Colin Creevey.


_**Author's Notes:**__ This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, and I wanted to take a minor character and write a simple diary entry. My original idea was to make this into a series, where I write different characters' diary entries in each chapter, but I'm waiting for more inspiration. _

_This first one is Colin Creevey's diary entry, and is set a few weeks into his first year. I'm not sure if I managed to capture an 11-year-old's writing style though! _

_For anyone who doesn't know, muggle-born children get a visit from a member of Hogwarts staff if they've been offered a place at Hogwarts; just so that the teacher can explain everything to the child and their parents._

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><p><strong>Reading Between the Lines <strong>

**Chapter 1: Colin Creevey**

Dear Diary,

Would you believe it? I _finall__y_ managed to get my photograph of Harry developed! It cost me my collection of Famous Witches and Wizards cards to persuade a third year student to make me the potion I needed, but it was worth it. I've already framed it and put it on my bedside table, and I'm looking at it right now!

I'm not entirely sure it's a good thing that Lockhart's in it too - I know he's incredibly brave and clever and everything, but I really wanted a photo of just Harry on his own… and besides Lockhart keeps getting my name wrong in class and calling me Curtis. For a man who defeated the Bandon Banshee by reciting the Thirteen Incantations of Eternal Banishment (whatever _those_ are), it's a wonder he can't even remember any of the students' names!

I tried making a joke about him when I was paired with two Slytherin boys in Defence Against the Dark Arts class today, and they said Lockhart probably had more important things to do than remember the name of a silly muggle-born first year. It's really annoying because I hear them making fun of Lockhart all the time, so they had no reason to be nasty to me! Ginny explained at lunchtime after the class that most Slytherins don't like muggle-borns, and that I should just ignore them if they try to be mean again.

Ginny's really nice, probably the only good friend I've made so far. But I can't imagine what it'd be like to have _six_ brothers! I get the impression her family doesn't have a lot of money, her school books and robes are second hand, although she tries to make jokes about it. Like last week during Charms class, we had a whispered conversation about who the previous owners of her Charms textbook could have been. I've told her all about my family too, but I didn't tell her about how homesick I feel sometimes.

I wish I got on with the Gryffindor boys in my year as well as I do with Ginny, but they're all so immature. They still taunt me for sitting next to her in class all the time. Earlier Niall saw my photo of Harry after I had framed it, and he started laughing and ran off to tell the other boys. They've made fun of me about my interest in Harry before, so it's nothing new, and I'm getting better at ignoring them. But I really wish they'd stop asking if I fancy him, especially when we're in the common room and Harry might overhear. I'd be so embarrassed if he thought that! But I sometimes wonder if he already does; after all, it almost seems as if he's trying to avoid me at times…

Anyway, I know I'm not weird for wanting to be friends with Harry Potter. I mean, who wouldn't? He's so brave for facing You-Know-Who again last year, and he must be a really powerful wizard for You-Know-Who's powers to backfire against him when he tried to kill Harry as a baby. I feel really sorry for him though, Ginny told me about how he's had to live with his horrible aunt and uncle, who even locked him in his bedroom over last summer! He must have been _really_ happy when he got offered a place at Hogwarts.

So was I, of course. Well, after the initial shock of Professor McGonagall turning up at our house, and offering me a place at a school for witches and wizards. But I had always felt different from my friends at school, and strange things used to happen around me (now I know that was just my uncontrolled magic). But even though Hogwarts is wonderful and I love learning magic and exploring the castle, I still really miss my family. I write to them every week, but it's not the same as talking to them properly. And when I write to them, I feel obliged to only tell them the good things about my life here. I don't want to mention about how lonely I sometimes feel, in case they get worried for me. I'm really lucky to be here at all; I'm sure any muggle would do anything to trade places with me! But it's just… I don't think I fully realised I'd face the same sort of problems at a wizarding school as I would anywhere else. I never thought I'd have so much trouble making friends, or that the classes could get so difficult. I keep having awful thoughts about never being able to fit in properly or keep up with the rest of my year, and that I'll be told that I'm not good enough to be a wizard and be sent home in disgrace.

But I know it's silly of me to worry about things like that. My grades so far aren't too bad, certainly not the worst in the class. And the fact that I'm a muggle-born doesn't put me at too much of a disadvantage - look at Harry's friend Hermione Granger, she's a muggle-born too, and she's a genius! I still have a lot to learn about the wizarding world, but being a wizard is fantastic, and if I was given a choice to go back to living a muggle life, I wouldn't dream of taking it. I'm sure I'll get used to missing my family as time goes on, and I'll make more friends here at Hogwarts.

I better go and finish off my Potions homework now, I don't want to give Snape a reason to give me detention. And I don't want the other boys in my dormitory to see me writing in a diary, it'll just give them something else to taunt me about. At least they'll never find where I've hidden it – it's in my trunk underneath a pile of books I brought from home. I very much doubt any of the boys will be interested in poking through some muggle novels!

Colin

PS. I can't wait to show Harry the photo tomorrow, if I don't see him in the Great Hall then I'll catch him between classes – that copy of his timetable I made really comes in handy at times!

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><p><em>As always, feedback is very appreciated ;D <em>

_Feel free to make suggestions for what character(s) I could write a diary entry for next, or even a better name for the series, or if you think it's worth continuing at all! _


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